


Down the lane

by Zarigueya



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Ghost Drifting, M/M, Religious Cults, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 10:11:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15531984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zarigueya/pseuds/Zarigueya
Summary: A smile tugs at the lips of tall, hooded figure as he peers down at the kid.“Looking for a trick, or for a treat?”The kid doesn’t know what to answer, shaking where he stands.He was definitely not looking for a ghost.





	Down the lane

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elapuse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elapuse/gifts).



> Commission for Elapuse (thanks for the ko-fis!)

There is a big house down the lane. It’s old and scary, like all haunted houses should be.

 

Especially that night of October; it doesn't need any Halloween decorations to look any scarier than it does already.

 

At least that’s what children think when they play by the house.

 

“I saw a werewolf!” one of the kids exclaims; he describes it as shaggy and loud, pulling at the sides of his mouth to show his teeth in an attempt to imitate the creature. “He’s got big hairy hands!”

 

“I saw a vampire, with silver hair!” another continues, saying he even saw the  bloodstains on his clothes and pale lips painted with red.

 

Red, just like the ball that goes flying over the rickety, decrepit fence.

 

The sound of glass shattering startles the children, who turn to the one who kicked the ball. They point accusatory fingers and glares at him.

 

“Go get it!”

 

Unwillingly, the kid does as he’s told. He’s always been meek, always refused to say no.

 

Several thoughts cross his mind as he climbs over the fence and makes his way across the foreboding yard. _What if the werewolf is hungry?_ There are no candies, no lights, no pumpkins, no skeletons… nothing that makes a child feel welcome. _What if the vampire is thirsty?_ The wooden stairs of the porch creak under his feet as he steps up them.

 

Careful to not step on the shattered glass, the child searches for the ball, a difficult task considering the poor lighting on such a dark night. Unable to find it anywhere, he decides to give up, even when that could bother his friends.

 

A shiver run down his spine when he hears glass crunching and feels a presence breathing heavily behind him, the hairs on his neck stands ever so slightly. The streetlight flickers until it goes off. The kid gulps past the knot in his throat and slowly turns around, dragging his teary gaze upwards and gapes.  

 

A smile tugs at the lips of tall, hooded figure as he peers down at the kid.

 

“Looking for a trick, or for a treat?”

 

The kid doesn’t know what to answer, shaking where he stands.

He was definitely not looking for a ghost.

* * *

 

The man turns out to be Gabriel Reyes, owner of the house. He’s tall, charming, and dapper; with curly hair--perfectly cut--and nice white teeth.

 

Far less scary with the right lighting.

 

“They’re always like this, can’t keep the place clean.” he complains as he watches the kid wash dishes. “Especially Jesse, he’s so spoiled, refuses to do what Jack says.”

 

The kid guesses he’s talking about the werewolf and the vampire that live here.

 

Finding an stranger on his property and a broken window, Gabriel has the kid doing the chores as compensation. He promised no telling his parents, and for that, the kid already considers him less of a threat.

 

“Everytime I come back, the house is a mess,” he sighs. “ _They_ are a mess when I’m not around.”

 

“Where have you been, sir?” the little blond boy asks, finishing up the last dish. He dries his small hands on the apron around his waist and looks up at Gabriel.

 

The edges of his lips curve up. “Away.”

 

That would explain the lack of a third person in the stories about the house.

 

As Gabriel has the kid sweeping the floor, cleaning the windows, and picking up the dry leaves, he keeps chatting on about the other two people living with him. His eyes light up when he talks about Jack’s painting, pointing out the frames hanging on the walls --though he wrinkled his nose as he talked about the man’s odd eating habits and his obsession with tomato juice-- and puffs his chest out when he speaks about Jesse’s carved wood work, showing off the sculptures around the house. He complains about the dogs he brings home, though, insisting he always finds hair on the furniture, and all over himself.

 

“You know? You’re lucky Jack didn’t find you. He would have been so mad at you for breaking the window,” Gabriel muses, smiling. “He doesn’t like children.” He scratches the back of his head, looking away, “I like them, I’ve always wanted to fill this house with children.” Gabriel shrugs, pulling the ball from his back and showing it to the kid, “But we can’t have it all, right?”

 

After giving the ball back to the kid, Gabriel dismisses him for the night, mentioning he has to leave as well. He asks the kid to be careful and promises next time he’ll give candies away.

* * *

 

On his way out, he’s unlucky enough to run into the other two people who live in that house.

 

“What are you doing here?!” a man with white hair yells, startling the kid enough to make him drop the ball. “This is private property, you can’t enter!”

 

“Jack, calm down.” the younger man scolds, brushing his hair back with his calloused fingers; Jack sighs and lowers his fists, and Jesse turns back to the child. “Now, how did you get in, kid?”

The boy picks the ball back up and holds it protectively against his chest.

“Mr. Reyes let me in.”

 

Jack blinks, gaping, and shifts his weight from one foot to another. He thinks he’s misheard; deep down, he hopes he has.

“Gabriel?”

 

The kid nods slowly.

 

Jack drops the grocery bags immediately, rushing inside the house.

 

“Gabriel!” he yells as he pushes the door open, welcomed only by the darkness of his husband’s old house. He looks around, waits for a moment, and calls again: “Gabriel!” he holds his head, eyes brimming with tears, “Gabriel, please!” he begs, stopping at the small shrine they had in the living room.

 

It’s always the same.

 

He traces the silver frame of the photo, looking at the picture of Gabriel. It’s his favorite photo, one he took during their first anniversary, the one before Jesse came into their lives. Before Gabriel got involved with a strange cult and started to slowly lose his mind.

 

He vividly remembers the day he took that photo: the date on the beach, the kisses they shared in the back of his old truck, Gabriel’s laugh, his sneaky hands, and his pretty, glassy eyes.

 

Jack takes in a sharp breath, shaking his head, and looks away from the photo. His eyes wander around the room, as if he expects to see Gabriel standing there. But he isn’t and Jack knows it. He then looks to the black urn next to the photo; it’s covered with a gold engraved floral filigree design, a fancy model. Jesse had picked it. _He liked black._

 

He gingerly picks up the urn and holds it --holds Gabriel-- against his chest, before falling to his knees.

 

“Stay with me.” he begs.

* * *

 

The kid feels his stomach flip when the hairy man settles a hand on his shoulder. He looks up at him, meeting his tired eyes.

 

“Go home, kid,” Jesse instructs, running a hand over his face. “Don’t ever come back. This isn’t a place for children.”

 

The kid looks back at the house, wondering if Jack found Gabriel or if he decided to leave again: for someone who claimed to love these two, wasn’t it a bit cruel to leave without saying goodbye?

 

He finally leaves as Jesse insists he forget what he saw, saying it was evil itself.

**Author's Note:**

> Ela asked for a story focused on children discussing about a "haunted house", coming up with legends of "vampires and werewolves". Very cute concept, and creepy as the only thing real there was Gabriel's resentful ghost.
> 
> Somehow the story turned out sad as I love Jack being miserable.
> 
> Thanks for reading and thanks to Ela for the comission!
> 
> You can find me on [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/possssum).


End file.
